内容简介
伯斯利、汉桥、克尼普、朗肖、特恩希尔——这就是本书所说的五镇。这些故事发生在20世纪初的英格兰中部地区。如今的五镇已经成为斯托克城，不过这个地方仍然因为陶瓷和阿诺德·贝内特故事中的人物而闻名。
Bursley, Hanbridge, Knype, Longshaw, Turnhill — these are the Five Towns of Arnold Bennett's stories, set in the English Midlands in the early 1900s. Today the Five Towns are the city of Stoke-on-Trent, but the place is still famous for its pottery... and for the people in Arnold Bennett's stories.
这些人既不是名人，也不是什么大人物。他们在商店和工厂工作;他们恋爱又失恋;他们会拌嘴，会争吵。他们有时头脑聪明而且事业成功，他们有时的所作所为又极其愚蠢。菲利普有个重要消息要告诉母亲，不过他自己也将得到一个大大的惊喜……杰先生讨厌自己的画像，但又能怎么办呢?这可是五镇人送给他的礼物……在克尼普站，托比·霍尔突然决定乘火车去特恩希尔，不过这是为什么呢?最后出场的是约翰和罗伯特。他们是亲兄弟，住在同一屋檐下，在同一张桌子上吃饭——但十年来他们没和对方说过一个字……
They are not famous or important people. They work in shops and factories; they fall in, and out of, love; they argue and they quarrel. Sometimes they are clever and successful, and sometimes they do very stupid things. Philip has some important news to tell his mother, but he is also going to get a big surprise... Sir Jee hates his portrait, but what can he do about it? It was a present from the people of the Five Towns... At Knype station, Toby Hall suddenly decides to take the train to Turnhill, but why? Then there are John and Robert. They are brothers, they live in the same house, they eat meals together — and neither has said a single word to the other for ten years...
